Laguna Beach endorses sludge pipeline replacement

After a lack of consensus at a previous meeting, the Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday night showed support for a $4.2 million sludge pipeline replacement project.

The South Orange County Wastewater Authority says a plan to replace aging pipes on the line is 20 years in the making. The council voted 4-1 in support, with Councilman Steve Dicterow dissenting.

About 4 million gallons of sewage arrive daily at a treatment plant in Aliso Canyon, the wastewater authority says. The treatment results in a sludge byproduct that is transported via the pipeline to a larger regional treatment facility in Laguna Niguel.

The wastewater authority proposes replacing the 4-inch steel pipeline with a 6-inch polyethylene pipeline. The project would cost Laguna Beach about $1.4 million, since it is responsible for about a third of the cost. The city estimates ongoing maintenance and operational costs at $30,000 a year.

Laguna Beach is one of four stakeholders in the project. The others are the South Coast Water District, Emerald Bay Service District and Moulton Niguel Water District. SOCWA needs three out of the four to approve. They divide the cost proportionally based on use of the treatment plants.

The pipes, built more than 30 years ago, have been corroding and leaking, including leaks in December 2010 and January 2011, SOCWA said. The authority says the risk of a rupture is high and that it could cause disastrous damage to Aliso Creek and the ocean.

During a Laguna Beach council meeting last month, many residents raised questions about the issue.

"A wilderness park is no place for a sewer," said Barbara Metzger of Village Laguna. "This is the first chance we've had since the park was created to move some of the pipes out of (Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness) park."

Dicterow questioned supporting a $4.2 million "Band-Aid" when a new treatment facility could solve more issues by making it unnecessary to transport the sludge to Laguna Niguel. It is estimated such a plant would cost about $17 million.

Council members Bob Whalen and Toni Iseman, who has represented the city on the SOCWA board, said the pipeline replacement will prevent a potential rupture. Whalen said SOCWA has said it would be willing to keep the discussion going in years to come about a new plant and other long-term ideas.

SOCWA is nearing the tail end of the environmental-impact report process. It plans a public hearing for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at 34156 Del Obispo St., Dana Point.